I turned crimson. Cal let out a loud, barking laugh as he placed a hand on my lower back, claiming me right there in the kitchen.
“Girls!” Jayme scolded, though she was fighting a smile as she walked up and hugged me.
“They’re assholes,” she whispered in my ear.
“Trust me, I know,” I said as I looked at the two girls giggling their heads off.
“So, who is this?” Jayme said as she pulled away, looking to Cal with warm, welcoming eyes.
“Jayme, this is my boyfriend, Callum,” I said, the wordboyfriendfeeling a little less terrifying this time. “Cal, this is my Aunt Jayme, and the two basket cases that look like her are Josie and Cadence. Cadence is the one that looks like a menace.”
Cadence rolled her eyes but grinned.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Cal said, stepping forward. Jayme didn’t even hesitate; she pulled him into a hug.
“It is so good to meet you,” she said, squeezing him tight.
“Well, I guess we need to get things settled for dinner so it’s ready when your dad’s brood gets here. Can you boys help me set up the table? We picked up Chinese on the way in,” Jayme said as she nudged the girls towards the kitchen and we followed behind them.
Wespent the next several minutes prepping for dinner, laughing, talking, and enjoying the time. Truthfully, this was the first time in many years being on the land felt… nice. It didn’t feel suffocating, or like I was trapped. It felt like home.
“So,” Josie asked, popping a crab rangoon into her mouth before dinner even started. “Who’s the funny one? Because we all know it’s not Silas. Silas has the personality of a wet sponge unless he’s in the ring.”
“Hey!” I protested, grabbing a stack of plates.
“She’s not wrong,” Cal smirked, leaning against the counter. “I’m definitely the funny one. And the charming one. Silas is… the pretty one.”
“See!” Cadence pointed a fork at him. “I like him. He gets it. Wait, so you’re the funny one and the straightest looking gay guy we’ve ever seen? That’s unfair. Save some stats for the rest of us.”
“I’m not the gay one,” Cal deadpanned, keeping a perfectly straight face. “Silas is. I’m just uniquely obsessed with him.”
The girls howled with laughter. I stood there, face burning, but laughing too. Seeing Cal slide into this dynamic, teasing my cousins, charming my aunt, was something I never thought I’d see.
“So, Cal,” Jayme asked, wiping down the table. “Where are you from originally? Do you come from a big family of madness like Si?”
“Philly,” Cal answered. “Born and raised. I was a runaway. My best friend’s family took me in as a teenager, so I’ve got three sisters because of it. I’m used to the chaos.”
“Bless your heart,” Jayme smiled. “Are they… good? Do they know?”
“They’re good,” Cal nodded. “And yeah, they know. And honestly? They always kind of knew about Silas. He spent Thanksgiving with us several years ago. We were still trying to figure it out ourselves, but we were acting like a couple right in front of them. My mom has been asking about ‘that nice boy Silas’ for years. I think when I finally tell her we’re actually together, she’s just going to say, ‘It’s about damn time.’”
“Speaking of relationships,” Cadence interjected, smirking. “Did he tell you he dated a woman a few years back? Amanda?”
Cal’s face dropped. He let out a sharp, annoyed breath, his eyes darting to me.
“Yeah,” Cal grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. “He told me in January. I’m still trying to scrub the information from my brain.”
“Why would you get him started?” I groaned, glaring at Cadence. “Seriously? We were having a nice time.”
“It’s shocking!” Cadence laughed. “I feel like you need to know his darkest secrets. And her bangs were definitely a dark secret.”
“I didn’t need to know,” Cal muttered, looking visibly offended by the concept. “I really didn’t. ‘A girl?’ he asked me. ‘Really?’”
The twins ate it up, looking between us like we were their own personal reality show.
Mid conversation, the doorbell rang.
My stomach hit the floor. The laughter in the room died instantly. That was it. Maverick was here. Fuck. I had to do this all over again.
